daring escape, life-changing, music, short stories, soviet union, survival, world war 2

Music as a Lifesaver: A Tale From the Far East

Can music save lives? The answer is a resounding “Yes.” I’ve had the pleasure of meeting several people from the northeastern region of Taiwan living in Chicago. Among them is a dear friend, Mr. Wang Chang-Suo, who has shared countless stories of his native land — personal experiences that are the backbone of this narrative. ...

Max Lu

Several items displayed from a World War 2 soldier.

Kindness Is the Patron Saint of Life

These are two short stories from the newspapers on the power of kindness. Conversion of a child trafficker A human trafficker kidnapped a 5-year-old boy. The little boy did not cry like other children might do in the situation. He kept calling the trafficker “Uncle.” He took out a piece of candy from his pocket ...

Michael Segarty

Red glass heart being held in a woman's hands.

Friends All Over the World (‘The Shanghai Friendship Store’ — Chapter 5)

Friends All Over the World, from Susan Ruel’s novel Shanghai Friendship Store, portrays the claustrophobic social lives of a small, insular “foreign expert“ community in the 1980s. Shanghai had long been known as China’s most Westernized city. Yet, during this period following the normalization of Sino-U.S. relations, the city’s few foreign residents were discouraged from ...

Nspirement Staff

Chinese college students in the early 1980s.

6 Tales of Enlightenment

Enlightenment comes in many forms and can have a major impact on your life. 6 tales of enlightenment 1. The tumor One of my friends was a doctor. He told me that once during an operation to remove a cancerous tumor for a patient, after he opened up the affected area, he found that he ...

Helen London

A sandy beach with a crystal ball.

Bragging

There were two people who loved to brag. One day, they ran into each other. They talked about “giants.” One man bragged: “There is a giant in my hometown whose head touches the sky and his feet touch the ground.” The other man bragged: “There is a very tall person in my town. His upper ...

Nspirement Staff

Two men bragging.

A Truly Frugal Man

There was an old man who was very rich, but very frugal. For his daily meals, he would only eat rice and dip his chopsticks in salt to get some taste, without veggies or any side dish. An acquaintance told him: “You are trying to save while your son is wasting lots of money on ...

Nspirement Staff

A frugal rich man.

Drink and Get Awakened

A man went to a banquet. He was drunk at home before he went to the banquet and his face was red and flushed. At the banquet, the liquor provided was watered down. The more he drank the more conscious he was. By the end of the banquet, he was totally sober. Before he went ...

Nspirement Staff

A drunk man sobered up.

Get Drunk, but Don’t Act Crazy

There was a man who always acted crazy after having some liquor whether or not he was really drunk. His wife hated his actions. One day, he asked for a drink at home. His wife gave him water that was soaked with ramie [also known as China grass]. Quickly, he started acting crazy, waving hands ...

Nspirement Staff